I Love You
by Nix Wolfwood
Summary: It's been a year since the insurance girls last saw the stampede. Every night since he's been gone they've sat on the porch waiting for him to return. But, how will they react when he finally does come home? Will Meryl accept her feelings?


**I Love You**

_Lucid-03-days_

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"He's not coming back is he?" Meryl stared ahead looking into the desert from her porch. Millie sighed and patted her on her back.

"He'll be back, don't worry. How can he leave a girl like you behind?" This took place night for the past year since Vash had left them both without any explanations.

"Well, I guess we should just go inside now." Meryl sighed, and both girls walked inside their house for bed. They both brushed their teeth and joked around a little with each other, although they didn't really laugh much.

"Well, good night Ms. Meryl, have sweet dreams."

Meryl gave her a hug, "You're a good friend Millie."

Millie smiled at Meryl and they both walked to their rooms. When Meryl arrived in hers she laid down on her bed and wiped a few tears away from her eyes. "I just hope he's okay." She said to herself as she put her arms behind her head and drifted off the sleep.

The next day Meryl went to work at the diner, as she did every day to take her mind off Vash. She even volunteered to clean up and shut down every night. 'I really am a workaholic.' She thought to herself while locking up the small diner. She walked into the street and headed home.

"Hey insurance girl!"

'Oh no,' she said to herself. 'I must really be going crazy; I could have sworn I just heard him.'

"MERYL!" She heard the same voice whine. "You've forgotten me?"

She turned around, just incase it was actually him and her mouth dropped open.

"Vash?" She asked, suppressing her urge to run to him.

"Yep, it's me!" A huge grin spread across his face.

She stayed in her spot, waiting for him to catch up to her. He ran down the street and stopped right in front of her.

When he came up to her they both asked each other in unison, "How are you?" That caused them both to laugh at each other.

The laughter was silenced when Vash asked her, "Do you have any donuts? I haven't had one in forever"  
Meryl shook her head in mock disgust and let out a loud sigh. "Yeah, let me unlock the diner first."

At the sound of the word 'diner' Vash's stomach let out a thunderous rumble.

"Oh, you must be hungry. I can heat you up something too, how would you like that?"

He sighed from relief, "That would be great!"

She unlocked the door and invited him in. "Pick anywhere to sit; I'm pretty sure all the tables are free."

He sat down at the table next to the oven to warm up. She brought him out a few utensils and went back to the oven to heat up some leftovers from earlier. He tucked the napkin neatly into his coat and held a spoon and fork in each of his hands.

"The food's going to take a little bit longer before it's done, but here are some donuts I made this morning."

She plopped down the plate in front of him, and before she could move her hands away, half of them were already in his mouth. "You pig!" She smiled at him and went back to the stove as he flashed her a big donuty smile.

A little while later she brought him his food and he scarfed it down. Meryl looked at him in disgusted as he hugged the bowl telling it how good it tasted.

He finished off the last bit and wiped away a tear from his eye.

"Well, I need to close this place up, let's go home. Besides, Millie's probably worried sick."

Vash stood up and helped her clean off the table.

"You don't have to do that, I've got it."

"I know," He replied, "I just wanted to help."

"Oh, thanks!" She smiled at him and they both cleared off the dishes together.

A short while later Meryl locked up the diner for a second time that night and they walked into the cool night air together.

"So, what have you been up to?" She looked at him waiting for his response.

"Oh, nothing much..." He responded to her a little too quickly.  
"Nothing much?" She screamed in a shrill voice, much louder than anyone would have thought possible in such a small woman. "You've been gone for over a year and all you can say is 'Nothing much'!"

He grinned at her sheepishly and tried answering the question again. "Okay, I'm sorry. I should have been more detailed in that answer." She sighed and he continued, "I was just fixing a big problem of mine. Although I wanted you to be with me Meryl, I just didn't want you to get hurt."

Meryl blushed. 'Did he just say Meryl? As in me...and why didn't he say Millie?' She was thinking about asking him these questions when they reached the house.

Millie, who was sitting on the porch, ran over to them when she saw Vash. She ran up and hugged him without even a second thought.

"Mr. Vash, I missed you so much! We waited every night on this porch, hoping you would come home."

Meryl blushed again and smacked her, "He didn't have to know that!" She hissed at her.

Vash's eyes started watering, "Aww, I missed you girls too. Group hug!" He grabbed them both into a big hug, but Meryl struggled out of it and smacked him.

"Let me go you idiot!" He let go of both girls and put his hands on his head while whining what he was going to get brain damage.

"Oh Vash, I didn't hit you that hard!"

Millie smiled and them and ran into her room screaming, "Good night!" Inside Meryl was relieved she left, but outside she screamed back at her,

"Hey, don't leave me alone with him!"

Vash smiled and sat down as he watched Meryl attempt to open Millie's door, which was locked. She came back over to him after failing many times at opening her door. "Well, I guess we should be going to bed soon."

He stood up and grinned at her, "Yeah, I wouldn't mind sleeping in a bed."

"I'll walk you to your room then."

They arrived at the door to his room. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly stopped herself and said, "Good night Vash!" instead, and walked down the hall to her room.

She sat down on her bed with her knees to her face letting the tears flow out of her eyes. "Well, you're brilliant Meryl." She ridiculed herself, "You're in the same predicament you've been for the past year. He was right there, but you didn't do anything!"

She stopped when she heard a knock at her door. Wiping away the tears from her eyes, she opened the door to see Vash there.

"What is it?" She asked him quietly after the shock of him faded away.

"Nothing much..." Her eyes narrowed and he started talking faster.

"I wasn't finished..." He wined, "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for the dinner. I really missed your cooking."

"Oh, well...thanks. Um, Goodnight Vash." She turned around and shut her door.

"Wait!" She opened it again and looked at him questionably.

"Yes?"

"I also wanted you to know I missed you...not just your cooking." She looked at him wide eyed as he shuffled back to his room.

'One of these days,' She quietly told herself, 'I'll tell him everything.'

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**_A/N: This was a story of mine that used to be a songfic, but got kicked off. So, I fixed it up, changed it a bit...and it's new and improved. Please review and tell me what you think of it._**


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